Storm-front.



No. 879,945. PATENTED FEB. 25, 1908.

L. GOGKERILL.

STORM FRONT. APPLICATION FILED MAY 14, 1907.

LEWIS GOGKERILL, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA.

STORM-FRONT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25, 1908.

Application filed M 14.1907. Serial No- 373.617.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEwIs CocKERILL, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Richmond, in the county of Wayne and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Storm- Fronts, of which the following is a full and accurate specification.

My present invention contemplates certain improvements in storm-fronts for vehicles, which improvements are more particularly applicable to my invention covered by Letters Patent No. 843,133, dated Feb. 5, 1907. I

The particular objects of this present invention are to provide means for easily and quickly attaching and detaching the stormfront; to provide a front which when in operative position will be practically rigid,that is to say, it will retain its adjusted position without danger of its inadvertently swinging or bulging back against the occupant of the vehicle, thereby allowing the occupant of the vehicle a maximum of room when inclosed, and giving the highest degree of efliciency; and, finally, another particular object is to provide means for preventing the device from rattling, especially when it is in its folded position.

Other objects and specific improvements will be made clear in the accompanying specification, and will be set forth in the claims terminating the specification.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and show the essential features of my invention, in which Figure 1 shows an inside front elevation of my invention; Fig. 2 shows a cross sectional view as taken through the front bow of the vehicle, the brow-board, and one of the means for securing the brow-board; Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of thebrowboard and of the several devices connected thereto at one end thereof, the opposite end portion of the brow-board being provided with like devices connected thereto in same manner; Fig. 4: is a vertical central section of the invention as folded back within the vehicle-top and out of operative position; Fig. 5 is a vertical detail section of the means for closing and stiffening the front, relating especially to the parts located below the main frame; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail section showing one of the devices for preventing the device from rattling.

Similar reference characters denote like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings in detail: The numeral 1 denotes a brow-board and the letter D denotes the front bow of a vehicletop, the upper edge of the brow-board is formed to fit the curvature of the central portion of the underside of the bow, as indi cated. The horizontal thickness of the brow-board is somewhat less than is the like dimension of the bow, substantially as indicated in Fig. 2, and the forward faces of said parts should be approximately fiush with each other as shown.

Secured to the inner face of the browboard 1, even with the upperedge thereof, and on the left and right hand portions thereof, are the respective hangers, or brackets 20 and 20; each being firmly attached by screws or the like as indicated. The center portions of said hangers are swelled out, extending back as shown forming maniform protuberances, a and a respectively, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Said protuberances have each an aperture therethrough at right angles to the base of the hangers, which apertures are interiorly threaded to receive the threaded stems of the respective thumbscrews 21 and 21; the free ends of said stems are formed tapering as indicated in Fig. 2, and they are adapted to impinge the inner face of the brow-board. In the contact faces of the brackets 20 and 20, and in the center portions thereof, are indentations b and b, respectively, which when the brackets are secured .in position, as in the drawings, form upwardly opening cavities or slots, which communicate with the respective apertures for the screws 21 and 21.

The numerals 22 and 22 designate screweyes projecting upward into the bow D, with their eye portions depending downwardly therebelow and adapted to neatly fit in the respective slots 1) and b, as indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

From the above it is evident that with the screw-eyes 22 and 22 properly located, the thumb-screws being run back to withdraw their points from said slots 6 and b, that the brow-board 1 may be brought up to position securely connected to the bow, from which it may be quite easily detached when so desired, simply by running the thumbscrews back sufficiently to remove their ends from the slots.

The numeral 2 denotes a frame which is of same width as is the length of the browboard, and said frame depends from the under-edge of the brow-board, being pivoted thereto as follows: Rigidly attached to the side edges of the frame 2 and projecting thereabove are the bars 23 and 23, whose projecting upper ends overlap a portion of the ends of the brow-board, as shown most clearly in Fig. 3. A pivot-screw connects said upper projecting ends of said bars to the ends of the brow-board, as indicated by the screw 0 in Fig. 3, by which it is evident that the said frame is pivotally suspended from the brow-board substantially as shown.

Fitted in the frame 2 is the sash 4, in which is permanently secured a pane of glass, or other transparent material, designated by the numeral 5. Said sash is formed to fit in said frame and to be opened inward, but not outward, and it is suspended entirely independent of the frame, as follows: Permanently attached to the inner face of the sash 4, at eachend thereof, are the hangers 6 and 6 which are formed of metal strips extending above the sash, reaching above the frame, and overlapping the brow-board. The upper ends of said hangers are bent slightly forward at an obtuse angle. In the upper angular portions of said hangers are formed longitudinal elongated eyes, as indicated by the letter (Z in Fig. 3. Secured in the inner face of the brow-board are the hooks 7 and 7, their eye portions being substantially square, or angular, and from said hooks are suspended said hangers 6 and 6, substantially as shown in Fig. 3. Said hooks are threaded into the brow-board, passing first through the springs 25.

Pivotally mounted to the inner face of the lower bar of the frame 2 is a guard 17 composed of an integral length of wire or the like bent into substantially the form shown in Fig. 1, whereby it forms a plurality of vertical stays spaced equally apart and pivoted at their upper ends to the frame 2, by the staples 16, 16, 16 and 16', which staples should be clenched on the front face of the lower portions of the guard 17 is adapted to press, with the pad 30 therebetween, sub stantially as shown in Fig. 5.

A curtain, or curtains, designated by the numeral 10, should be permanently attached to the lower bar and the side stiles of the frame2, and this curtain should be of a size such as to extend back and down sufficient to close the slides or openings of the vehicle, and it should project over the dash E, extending below the guard 17, as indicated, closing the front portion of the vehicle not inclosed by the frame and sash.

From the above it is notably apparent that when arranged as shown and described that the invention forms a secure protection from the weather, the construction of the frame, the guard, and the pad being such as to prevent the frame and the sash from swinging back into the vehicle, by reason of the wind or otherwise, while at the same time there is provision whereby the device may be folded back out of the way, when not required, without its removal from the vehicle. Desiring to fold the device one has only to release the curtain 10 from the vehicle-top, then by swinging the frame and sash outward the guard and pad may be folded in ward and upward over and in contact with the inner face of the sash, after which the curtains may be folded inward and doubled over the guard and pad and the whole, together with the frame and sash, may be turned back and upward inside the vehicletop, as shown in Fig. 1, where it may be secured in any well known manner, as for instance by the strap 14 which should be attached in the center of the outer-face of the lower bar of the frame 2, and the free end of said strap may be attached to a hook 8, which latter depends from the bow B of the top, or said strap may be attached to some other portion of the top as desired.

The numeral 9 has reference to a strap or the like attached to the center of the inner face of the lower bar of the sash, by means of which the sash may be operated from within the vehicle without moving the frame.

It is also quite evident that the front being adjusted as in Fig. 1 that the sash 5 may be turned inward without disturbing the adjustment of the other parts, thereby allowing the occupant greater latitude in driving.

Secured to the inner face of the browboard, near each of the brackets 20 and 20, is a spring member 25, shown particularly in Figs. 3 and 6. Said springs are formed of flat steel and they are secured substantially as shown, the secured portion of each has an aperture therethrough through which pro- .trudes the said hooks for the hangers above referred to. Said springs extend up even with the upper edge of the brow-board and from there they extend back and slightly downward as shown. By the above it is evident that when the device is folded back as in Fig. 4 that the free ends of the springs 25 will resiliently press down the hangers 6, 6 and thereby prevent them from rattling.

The pad above referred to is designated by the numeral 30, and it is formed of some stifienin material as a fabric or the like. This pad is secured at its upper edge to the inner face of the lower'stile of the frame 2, extending from end to end thereof, and projecting down to or below the lower end of the guard 17, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. This p ad prevents the guard 17 from touching the face of the dash, it assists in stiffening the front, and it also serves to exclude cold from the interior of the vehicle. v

Having now fully shown and described my invention and the best manner for its construction to me known at this time, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a storm front, the combination of a frame inclosing a sash adapted to be hingedly supported from the front bow of a vehicle top, a guard depending from the bottom of the frame in such fashion as to fold inward only, being adapted to engage the outer side of the dash to holdthe frame against inward swinging, and a pad also depending from the bottom of the frame at the rear of the guard and adapted to be interposed between the latter and the dash.

2. In a storm front, the combination of a brow-board adapted to be secured to the front bow of a vehicle top, a sash depending therefrom by pivoted hangers, and antirattle devices, positioned to engage said hangers when the sash is swung inward and upward to inoperative position.

3. In a storm front, the combination of a brow-board adapted to be secured to the front bow of a vehicle top, a sash depending therefrom by pivoted hangers, and resilient stops secured to and projecting rearward from the brow-board in position to engage said hangers when the sash is swung inward and upward to inoperative position.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this-specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' LEWIS COCKERILL.

IVitnesses:

ROBERTWV. RANDLE, M. E. RANDLE. 

